As you may have read online, we’ve been actively banning consoles from Xbox LIVE that have been modified to play pirated games. Our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal, and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs, violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them. This would also be a good time to remind you that the warranty on an Xbox 360 console is not transferrable and if you purchase a used console that has been previously banned, you will not be able to connect to Xbox LIVE.
If you want to be a Beta tester for Com2us’ new RPG : The Chronicles Of Inotia : Wanderer Of Luone, here is your chance. If you own a iPhone, iTouch check out the this below and send and email with the details required to :
If you don’t know what your UDID is download the UDID App from the App Store here: UDID SENDER
Get in quick before the 9th of November, this a good chance in participating in testing what looks like is going to be a fantastic Online RPG game for the Apple iPhone/iTouch
G’day everyone MasterAbbot is back with another interview for Capsule Computers.
Today we speak to Vic & May producers of R U Smarter Than A Monkey over at Software Solutions Consulting. Inc. for the Apple iPhone/iTouch. If your not aware of R U Smarter Than A Monkey check out the review HERE.
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Vic & May have been very generous in donating some free promo codes for R U Smarter Than A Monkey to give away to a few lucky readers. Have a read of this interview and then let us know why you R U Smarter Than A Monkey is a great for Memory / Brain Training.
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Capsule Computers Question 1 : When was Software Solutions Consulting Inc first established. How many employees were employed at the time ? And how many employees are currently employed now ? And where are you offices located ?
Vic & May : SSCI was established in 1995 by Vic & May, a husband and wife team, located in Charlotte, North Carolina USA, in 1995. The two of us are still at it… no other employees. Originally we were financial programmers on Wall St. In 2009 we decided to explore other, non-finance related ventures.
Capsule Computers Question 2 : What do you believe have been your greatest challenges designing games for the mobile phone market ?
Vic & May : The biggest challenge is really putting together all the different pieces needed to make a successful commercial product. You need to be a programmer, artist, marketer, video editor, etc.
Capsule Computers Question 3 : Can you briefly describe what type of game R U Smarter Than A Monkey is. And what do players need to do ?
Vic & May : The game is based on a study on monkeys and their cognitive ability reported by ABC news. The monkeys are quicker and better at this than one might think! The game gives you a chance to test yourself against these monkeys.
Capsule Computers Question 4 : What features/modes etc did you add to make R U Smarter Than A Monkey entertaining for players.
Vic & May : It has several levels — starting at easy level “Baby Baboon” and progressing to harder levels like “Mind the gap” so you can practice before you challenge the monkey at an insane speed! Please make sure to try the Monkey Challenge Level and be sure to check out the web page comparing your results to others. www.RUSmarterThanAMonkey.com.
Capsule Computers Question 5 : Where there any issues or speed bumps along the way in creating R U Smarter Than A Monkey ? And what did the development team do to overcome them.
Vic & May : The only show stopper was when Apple first rejected our App because we included a video of ABC News right in the packaging. We had to contact ABC News to resolve the issue! They said we couldn’t include it! We were forced to put a link to youtube instead and that delayed our release by several weeks.
Capsule Computers Question 6 : What was your main reason for creating a fun and exciting game like R U Smarter Than A Monkey ? How many people did it take to design, create and ship out. If you can please explain the development process in creating R U Smarter Than A Monkey.
Vic & May : Originally we were suppose to work on a fantasy football app (www.fantistics.com). When we got the dev tools we decided to do a game “real quick” to learn the Apple development platform. The game was a bit different at first with different pieces instead of numbers.
There were many iterations in the development process. Many hours and days of tweaking each level to make it fun and challenging. Eg, how long should the pieces be revealed before covering? Scoring was also a big issue because we wanted to fairly compensate for speed, accuracy and most pieces remembered.
Capsule Computers Question 7 : What makes R U Smarter Than A Monkey so entertaining, different and more challenging than other brain training games on the market at the moment.
Vic & May : It’s a unique idea. It’s very compelling to see if you have the cognitive skill of a monkey and to improve your ability to match if not exceed the monkeys. We also offer online comparisons so you can compare yourself against other players making it even more challenging and fun.
Capsule Computers Question 8 : Tell us a little bit about the achievements in R U Smarter Than A Monkey and how you incorporated them into Open Feint. If possible can you explain to everyone what is Open Feint.
Vic & May : OpenFeint is a system which keeps track of scoring and achievements online. It also allows you to chat online with other players and discover other iPhone games with use the OpenFeint system.
Achievements are part of the game, for example when you can “memorize 8 pieces” you earn that achievement. You get a popup when that happens and, optionally, you can post that to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Also, there is a “trophy room” screen where you can see your achievements. There are about 30 achievements in the game.
Capsule Computers Question 9 : What inspired you to make R U Smarter Than A Monkey ? And What did you set to accomplish and have players achieve when playing this game.
Vic & May : I was pretty much inspired by my wife May. She’s a perfectionist when it comes to software development and she’s good at it too. I think she was inspired just because she wanted to create a game that would be simple but fun and challenging for people to play. She really thinks that this can help people remember better.
Capsule Computers Question 10 : What can players / consumers expect from Software Solutions Consulting Inc moving forward. Are there already plans or upcoming games that you are able to let your fans know about ?
Vic & May : We have several ideas for more games. We’re still trying to figure out if we can recoup our costs for this game, so we’ll see.
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Thank you once again to Vic & May for their time in answering these questions about R U Smarter Than A Monkey. I would urge everyone out there to grab a copy of R U Smarter Than A Monkey, help support Software Solutions Consulting Inc. Let us know what you think of R U Smarter Than A Monkey in your comments below as stated at the begining of this interview. We have a few copies of R U Smarter Than A Monkey to give away to the best few comments.
G’day everyone MasterAbbott from Capsule Computers back once again for another Video review. This time I sat down with R U Smarter Than A Monkeyfor the iPhone / iTouch / iPod A memory focus and retension game created by Software Solutions Consulting, Inc.
Now here’s the run down aboout R U Smarter Than A Monkey
The game is based on a study on monkey’s and their cognitive ability reported by ABC news (shown in the video below) It’s been proven that monkeys are quicker and better at this than one might think.
R U Smarter Than A Monkey gives you a chance to test yourself against these naughty little monkeys. It has several levels — starting at easy level (Baby Baboon) to harder levels such as gaps like “Mind the gap” you can practice before you challenge the mighty monkey himself (highest level) at an insane speed! And this is where it will become very addictive as you will do whatever it takes to prove to yourself and everyone else around (who’s probably laughing at you) that YOU ARE SMARTER THAN A MONKEY !!
The game displays various statistics at the end of each match to show how you did like accuracy and most pieces solved. It also has several achievements to earn such as “100% correct”, “Memorized 6 pieces” and “10 consecutive wins”, etc. And its Fully integrated with OpenFeint. Which is fantastic.
For more information check out the official website over at : www.rusmarterthanamonkey.comHere you can check the ‘daily top scores’ and ‘global top scores’. It’s very cool to see where you rank against others and how you are progressing.
And it’s true, and VERY Suprising, the human memory does get better with practice. I have to admit they EVEN I was able push myself to higher and higher number of pieces after only a few games.
Now no more talking .. sit back relax and watch the video review for
In closing R U Smarter Than A Monkey is perfect for anyone wanting to improve their mental thinking and memory, the game is easy to pick and play and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Just a few minutes a day of play will improve your memory and ability to focus dramatically.
Capsule Computers gives R U SMARTER THAN A MONKEY : 7 Capsules Out Of 10
Grab your copy now from App Store nowFOR for only $0.99 US
G’day everyone MasterAbbot is back with another interview for Capsule Computers.
Today we speak to Pavel Tovarysproducer of Undercroft over at Rake in Grass studios for the Apple iPhone/iTouch. If your not aware of Undercroft check out the review HERE.
Pavel was very generous in donating a free promo code for Undercroft to give away to one lucky reader. Have a read of this interview and then let us know what you like about Undercroft and what you would like to see in terms of updates in the future or even better what you would like to see in Undercroft 2 that didn’t make it in Undercroft.
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INTERVIEW
Capsule Computers Question 1 – Tell us a little bit about Rake in the Grass Studios. How were they created, the origin behind the name Rake In The Grass, when was it first established, and how many employees does it have today.
Pavel Tovarys –Rake in Grass is a very small studio – our core has only 3 members. But all of us are game developing veterans. We have started to develop games in 8-bit era, so 15 (and more) years ago. But the game developing was only a hobby for us until last year. We joined Rake In Grass about 8 years ago and we started our professional career 3-4 years ago.
Capsule Computers Question 2 – What do you believe have been your greatest challenges designing games for the mobile phone market ? Especially games for the iPhone/iTouch.
Pavel Tovarys – iPhone is a strong platform with unique features giving a lot of freedom to a developer. For example, the touchscreen allows us to create any interface we like. The freedom is great, but it’s also challenging. When you can do “anything” you have to think very well, what to do exactly. Therefore the hardest thing probably is to optimize the interface and the whole game, so it uses all the advantages of the hardware and avoids all the shortcomings.
Capsule Computers Question 3 – What do you believe is the main reason why the Rake in The Grass games are such a success ?
Pavel Tovarys – Honestly? We have no idea. Our primary motivation is to create games we like to play, to bring to life ideas that we find interesting. We are not just making money, it’s not just a job for us. Thanks to that we create things that are slightly different from the ordinary casual games that dominate the market today. Also we invest a lot of effort and developing time to make the games as quality as possible. Maybe the effort and genuine interest in what we do shows up and appeals to players.
Capsule Computers Question 4 – For people that don’t know anything about, Undercroft. How would you describe the game to them and the meaning behind the games name.
Pavel Tovarys – We always struggle with names for our games. It’s hard to concentrate the essence of a game into one short title. Undercroft does not refer to anything specific. It’s just another word for a crypt and we felt it suits well the character of the game. Undercroft is a RPG in which you control a bunch of heroes on their quest for glory. You travel many places, explore dark dungeons for long burried treasures and fight hordes of beasts, monsters and magical creatures. The visuals are darker (people who dig Halloween atmosphere will probably like it), but the story and quests are actually light and humorous and full of parodic moments. Undercroft is easy to pick and easy to play RPG with a lot of fun.
Capsule Computers Question 5 – What extra features/modes/ etc did you add to make Undercroft stand out in the crowd of other RPG style games that are out in the market at the moment.
Pavel Tovarys –First of all players control a party of heroes. It’s great to combine powers of specialized characters. Your mage is truly a mage and warrior is melee combat expert and nothing else. You don’t have one hero that knows a little of everything and do everything. Party management is much more rich and fun. We are especially proud of the interface that is easy to use, despite the fact the game is quite complex..
I also like the turn-based combat and square divided maps. Some may find it obsolete and disadvantageous, but it makes the exploring more lucid and adds to tactical depth of the battles. In combat, there’s no rush and you can think out your next move. But in the same time you can play it really quickly with almost real-time feel, if you are sure about the dominance of your party. No unnecessary hindering.
The game has a lot of items to loot, a lot of quests to complete. I’m sure many players also like the humorous tone of the story and dialogues.
Last but not least thing I want to mention Undercroft has a great replay value. You can try to beat the game with many party setups. After you finish, you can try again with all spell-casters, or maybe a “ninja squad” of four assassins (of whom each can have different specialization). You can even go with one lonely hero, if you think you are up to the task.
Capsule Computers Question 6 – How long was the development cycle for Undercroft. Could you briefly explain the start to finish phases: storyboading, concept art etc
Pavel Tovarys – It was quite long. The original Pocket PC version took about year to complete. We needed several months more to get it to iPhone, because large portions of the game were remade. We usually do not have strict production phases. There’s always a long discussion about what game to do next, then a rather short time of preparations when concepts and very basic design docs are created, but we mostly create and change things as we go. It’s a sort of controlled anarchy :).
Capsule Computers Question 7 – What engine / technology is used in getting Undercroft up and running on the iPhone, how many developers / programmers were involved in creating Undercorft.
Pavel Tovarys – It’s an in-house engine created by Jiri Prochazka. He’s also the one programmer that coded the whole game. Petr Tovarys then ported the PC development version to iPhone.
Capsule Computers Question 8 – Where there any issues or speed bumps along the way in creating Undercroft ? And what did the development team do to overcome them.
Pavel Tovarys – The biggest issue was the interface. We tried some other games and we didn’t like the small and hard to hit buttons and overall confusing complicated layout. It’s a main problem of RPGs that you need so many things, items and information on the screen. And of course no one wants a screen covered with tiny buttons and even tinier texts. We had to create an endless line of concepts and when the best looking was chosen and created, we were willing to change and improve many of it’s features in several iterations. It was very time consuming and sometimes frustrating, but necessary.
Capsule Computers Question 9 – What was your main reason for creating a fun and exciting RPG game like Undercroft ? What other games if any were influential in aiding the creation of Undercroft.
Pavel Tovarys –We love these kind of games. We grew up with classic dungeon crawling RPGs like Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore and many others. We was driven by selfish motivation to recreate that oldschool feeling we miss in nowadays RPG games. The major influence except the aforementioned games is also the magnificent series Might and Magic and Diablo.
Capsule Computers Question 10 – How would you describe the game mechanics of Undercroft. What do players need to do to succeed.
Pavel Tovarys – It’s similar to other RPGs. You explore the area, get quests, fight with monsters and are rewarded with money, experience and treasures. One big part of the Undercroft experience is exploring. Prepare for deep dungeons, snowy mountains, fiery pit of lava, dark forests and more.
Another important element is party management. You have a party of specialized heroes, who have to cooperate in order to succeed. Different heroes need different equipment. What is a junk for one, is a treasure for another. Enemy that is a deadly thread to warrior is an easy target for a mage, and vice versa.
In order to beat the game you need to build balanced, well equipped group. You need to use resources like money and potions wisely. It’s always good to concentrate on few skills for one hero and build a master of chosen specialization. You can follow the main quest only, but it’s always profitable to do side quests to gain more money and experience.
Capsule Computers Question 11 – Are there any patches or updates planned for Undercroft, if so what will be included in the updates.
Pavel Tovarys – Of course this game is too big and complex to be bug-free. We plan to release patches and also to tweek the balance according to players’ feedback. We also have some material prepared for a huge update, but this is a question of more distant future. We still don’t know, if this oldschool gaming experience is what the iPhone players are looking for. Game like Undercroft is much harder to create than usual platfomer or action game, so we have to wait for the reception, before we move any further.
Capsule Computers Question 12 – Please explain the list of characters currently available in Undercroft, Classes, Skills, etc. Will there be new characters available in future updates.
Pavel Tovarys – There are five classes. WARRIOR is your classic melee tank. MAGE is also exactly what you would expect from the character. PRIEST can be a healer/spellcaster or he can be trained into a strong crusader and damage dealer, especially against undead and demons. SUMMONER deals with black magic. He is a very variable character. He can fight enemies with powerful spells, or he can concentrate on shapeshifting and attack transformed into a terrible beast, or he can specialize in summoning skeletons or creation of golems. ASSASSIN is also very variable. He can become a deadly martial artist fighting unarmed or with staves. He can use exotic weapons unseen in many RPGs, like chains, flails or whips. Or he can be turned into a warrior with strong ranged attacks, who masters bows, crossbows and throwing weapons.
Capsule Computers Question 13 – Trophies / Achievements are what drive a number of players to play games now-days .. Does Undercroft have goals to accomplish or achievements to unlock. And if not will there be any possibilities of adding them in future releases / updates.
Pavel Tovarys – Undercroft is an RPG in classic style. You don’t get anything for killing 1000 wolves or revealing the whole map of some level, but you get a lot of optional quests, hidden buttons, secret areas in dungeons, puzzles, treasures and unique weapons. You can fly through the game or you can explore the areas and get much more.
Capsule Computers Question 14 – What can players / consumers expect from Rake in The Grass Studios moving forward. Are there already plans or upcoming games that you are able to let your fans know about ?
Pavel Tovarys – We haven’t finished plans for the next year(s) yet. We want to release a sequel of Be a King in February. We have a few other ideas for the future, but first we need to finish all our arrears and take some time to relax and find power to the next year 🙂
Capsule Computers Question 15 – Finally.. What do you love most working at Rake In The Grass ?
Pavel Tovarys – Freedom. Nobody commands us and we can create any game we want. And because we are a small studio and we don’t work on AAA games, we are not frustrated due long (yeyars and years) developing time etc.
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Thank you once again to Pavel Tovarys for this detailed and excellent answers to Undercroft. I would urge everyone out there to grab a copy of Undercroft, help support Rake in Grass studios. I personally hope to see an Undercroft 2 or extra expansion update in the furture. But all this will rest on its success. And that in turn lays in our hands. Let us know what you think of Undercroft in your comments as stated at the begining of this interview. I have a copy of Undercroft to give away to the best comment.
New York – Gameloft®, a leading publisher and developer of downloadable video games, has increased the number of operator contracts in two key emerging markets- Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The company has signed new direct agreements with 10 operators in Southeast Asia and 9 in the Middle East. With a stronghold already established in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, the company aims to extend its publishing arm to bring more top selling mobile games to new audiences.
“We have become quite aggressive in the emerging markets,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president of publishing, Gameloft. “We are not only expanding and growing, but also developing very strong relationships with the operators. We remain steadfast in our goal to maintain Gameloft’s position as the market leader with the biggest distribution network.”
Southeast Asia plays a central role in this growth with an untapped demographic of over 898 million subscribers across India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Established agreements with leading telecom companies such as Telkomsel, Idea Cellular and Dialog Sri Lanka enable Gameloft to reinforce its leadership and secure first mover advantage in this region.
Gameloft has the widest distribution network in the Middle East, reaching over 30 million subscribers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Agreements with mobile operators such as Etisalat, Zain, Batelco, Qtel, and DU allow the company to firmly establish its front runner position in those territories.
About Gameloft
Gameloft is a leading international publisher and developer of downloadable video games. For 10 years, Gameloft has been established as one of the top innovators in its field. The company creates games for mobile phones, smartphones, iPhone and iPod touch. The total number of game-enabled devices is anticipated to exceed four billion units by 2012. Gameloft games are also available to players on WiiWare, DSiWare, Microsoft Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation®Network.
Partnership agreements with leading licenses such as UNO™, Ferrari, Shrek, CSI, Spider-Man and Brothers in Arms allow Gameloft to form strong relationships with international brands. In addition to the partnerships, Gameloft owns and operates titles such as Real Football, Asphalt and Brain Challenge.
Gameloft is present on all the continents with its own production studios, employing over 3,500 developers, and distributes its games in over 100 countries and 200 carriers’. Gameloft is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0000079600, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA)
For more information, please contact: Sanette Chao, Director, Public Relations – [email protected]212.994.2495 or visit www.gameloft.com
More Cute ‘N Cuby papercraft characters available to download and create. This time Capcom have released Leon and Krauser, as they appear in the brand new South American scenario in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles! Head on over to Capcom Europe’s website and get to papercrafting!
Undercroft Platform: iPhone (reviewed) Developer: Raking in Grass Release Date: Oct 18, 2009
MasterAbbott from Capsule Computers sat down for over 10 plus hours to review Rake In Grass’s EPIC RPG Game for the iPhone : UNDERCROFT
I have done a 10 minute view review which covers and goes through pretty much all the important parts of Undercroft.
Undercroft is truely a great RPG turn based game. The Character classes to choose from are the right mix, the skills that each character can learn are interesting. You will have so many decisions to make on what to give each character when they level up. And what type of skills will fit well within the party. You have to really sit down and strategize everything. It’s perfect in every which way. It’s not everyday an RPG like this gets released to the world for us all to enjoy. And Rake In Grass has pulled off a fantastic job in creating an amazing game with great storylines, missions, side quests, hundreds of items to collect and unique and interesting monsters to battle against.
The game has two difficulty levels, I would recommend playing it on the hardest for a full bodied experience. Take your time and plan your moves in battle with the use of weapons, spells or skills. Running head first into battle is not always the smart thing. Sometimes you might need to buff up with the assistance of your Priest(Cleric) to give the party that extra boost in attack and defense.
There are some tricky and mind bending puzzles in the game that will have you thinking pretty hard. I wont give away any spoilers but they were quite enjoyable and have you thinking, Rake in Grass has done a great job in that department.
The music in the game is also brilliant, the sound effects and thunderstorms with rain effects are fantastic, especially with headphones on. There is no voice acting, thats something that would of made Undercroft even more EPIC. Everyone you meet and speak to and everything you do is all text driven. It’s still very easy to understand and fun, but voice would of added that extra feel to the game.
Undercroft also has this really neat save game transfer tool. If you download the LITE (demo version) and play through the first chapter then decide to go out and buy the full version, you dont have to start all over again. This is especially important in RPG games. As everything you have done so far can be simply transported over to the full version so you don’t lose anything and you can continue on your quest. *Note to do this you must have both lite and full version on the iPhone *
Now site back, relax and watch the video review for Undercroft
In closing Undercroft is amazing. Graphically one of the best iPhone games ever made, and certainly one of the best RPG’s currently available on the iPhone HANDS down.
Capsule Computers gives Undercroft : 9 Capsules Out Of 10
Grab your copy now from App Store for only$4.99 US
Gameloft’s wildly popular iPhone / iPod touch racing franchise is back and everything’s been pushed to max speed! Drive over 30 licensed cars and motorbikes from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati and more in 12 locations. Challenge yourself to 8 different racing events from the Drift Contest to Chase mode and varied track surfaces including ice, mud and snow. Play any music stored on your device as you take on the computer or challenge friends in Bluetooth and Online Multiplayer modes, then show your skills off to the world and climb the online leaderboard!
Get behind the wheel of over 30 vehicles from prestigious manufacturers (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Ducati)
Race in 12 unique locations including St. Tropez, Aspen and Las Vegas, with varied track surfaces, short cuts and spectacular jumps.
Bluetooth and Online Multiplayer: Chat with opponents in online lobbies before the race, take part in tournaments and in the Asphalt Academy!
Play your own music from your iPhone/iPod touch library during the race!
Download Asphalt for your iPhone now via iTUNES for only $6.99 (US) – $8.99 (AU) Click HERE
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